Ice pick



Patented Jan. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES ICE PICK I 'Maynard B. Pierson, Jackson, Mich.

Application October 12,

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a new and useful improvement in ice picks, and has for one I of its objects to provide an ice pick for commercial and domestic use having the correct weight for efficient splitting and cracking of ice without resorting to a composite metal and wooden or all metal handle with the accompanying disadvantages.

Another object of this invention is to provide an ice pick having a double ended blade in which the handle portion of the pick encases the unused end of the blade and constitutes an abutting stop for the sharpened point thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide an ice pick having a removable blade clamped in an operative position in a collet by a winged nut which also serves as a stop to prevent rolling of the pick when not in use.

These and other purposes and advantages will appear as the description proceeds. It is to be distinctly understood, however, that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details hereinafter set forth but intend to include as part of my invention all such changes and modifications which would occur tothose skilled in the art and would fall within the scope of the appended claims.

In an instrument of the aforesaid type, it is highly essential that it have sufficient weight to carry the blade well into the ice being split. Also, the correct weight of the handle is of importance when chunks of ice are held in the palm of the hand and cracked, into small pieces for domestic use, by a sharp blow delivered by the handle with the blade gripped in the hand. In ice picks herebefore employed, the handles have been constructed from wood or a composite handle of wood and metal to increase the weight. Obviously, a wooden handle will become dented and marred by the irregular surface of ice chunks cracked. When an all metal handle is employed, although it will crack the ice in a more efficient manner than a wooden handle, unless special precautions are taken, the handles will readily become corroded. Furthermore, an all metal handie, of the correct size and shape, unless constructed from the lighter and more expensive metal, such as aluminum, will be too heavy for ease of operation and handling.

In the accompanying drawing wherein one form of my invention is shown for the purpose of illustration,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of my improved ice pick.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the entire assembly.

1932, Serial No. 637,412 (Cl. 83--62) Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the collet employed to clamp the removable blade.

With reference to the drawing, reference character 1 designates a handle portion, preferably of molded phenol resinoid or similar material. Handles molded from wood flour and the like as a filler and a phenol condensation product as a binder, have been found in practice to result in a handle having a highly satisfactory specific gravity for efiiciency of operation and ease of handling. Furthermore, a handle of the aforesaid material is capable of withstanding, without marring and denting, sharp blows delivered against the irregular surface of chunks of ice during the cracking operation. In addition, the character of the surface appears to increase the effectiveness of the cracking operation.

A collet 2 having a drilled knurled shank is molded within the handle 1 with a threaded split end 3 projecting beyond the handle. The end 3 is preferably provided with a straight thread terminating in a tapered tip portion through which the clamping action is effected. A tapered hole 4 is molded in the handle 1 to receive the unused end of the blade 5 being clamped in the collet 2. The end of the tapered hole 4 constitutes a stop for the blade 5 and in the event the blade is not sufliciently clamped in the collet, a sharp thrust of the instrument will only have the efiect of causing the penetration of the unused point of the blade into the handle a slight distance. However, in view of the characteristics of the material from which the handle 1 is molded, such penetration will not have a detrimental effect upon the point of the blade, as would be the case in a metal handle, nor will the molded homogeneous mass of the handle split as a result of such penetration as would be the case of a wood handle having a longitudinal grain. It will be readily apparent that the ability to employ the handle as a stop without the provision of additional means is of considerable importance.

As shown in Fig. 1, the blade 5 extends into the handle 1 a sufficient distance to enable the same to be clamped inthe collet 2 intermediate the tapered ends. A winged nut (i is threaded to receive the threaded split end 3 of the collet and has a tapered portion adapted to force the split portion of the collet inwardly upon tightening of the nut to clamp the blade 5 in position. The winged nut 6 is preferably of greater overall dimensions than the width of the handle adjacent thereto in order to prevent rolling of the instrument when not in use. Obviously, the construction of the nut for clamping the collet upon the blade only constitutes one feature of my improved pick, and it is not my intention to be limited to any particular type of nut for drawing up the collet when considered in connection with other features of my invention.

Although the construction illustrated is particularly adapted to doubled ended removable and reversible blades, single pointed blades may be employed with equally satisfactory results. If desired, a single pointed blade may be sheathed in the depression in the handle when not in use by loosening the collet and reversing the blade.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An ice pick comprising in combination a.

molded handle of phenol resinoid material, a collet anchored in said handle, a depression in said handle concentric with said collet, a double ended removable reversible blade clamped by said collet, one end of said blade extending into said depression and adapted to abut the bottom thereof against said material as a stop.

2. An ice pick comprising in combination, a molded handle of phenol resinoid material, a collet anchored in said handle, a depression in said handle concentric with said collet, a removable picking blade clamped in said collet and extending into said depression, said blade having one end thereof tapered to a point, and said depression being of the same configuration as said tapered end of said blade whereby when the tapered end of said blade is inserted in said depression the point thereof abuts against said material as a stop.

MAYNARD B. PIERSON. 

